NORTHERN IRELAND: Paddy McNair out for the season
Northern Ireland midfielder Paddy McNair is set to miss the rest of the season.
The 21 year-old suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament during Sunderland’s 3-0 win over Hull City on Saturday. That looks likely to mean he will miss Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers at home to Norway in March and away to Azerbaijan in June.
Sky Sports have reported that McNair sustained the injury in the 42nd minute when he closed down Curtis Davies on the edge of his own area but he played for a further 46 minutes before being subsituted shortly before full-time. He will now require an operation.
McNair moved to Wearside from Manchester United in the summer and last week started in Northern Ireland’s 3-0 friendly defeat to Croatia.